Best of Longboat Key Cops Corner for 2017

Jan. 6

Where there’s a will
3:23 p.m. — 5400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Disturbance: A man reported a dispute over an inheritance with a woman on the island. He told police the deceased had promised him some cameras upon his death, but his daughter took possession of the property and has refused to give them to the man since his death in 2014. Officers told the man it was a civil issue.

Jan. 7

Stars align
8:55 — 4300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Public service: A man called police to report a suspicious drone flying through the air. When police arrived, they determined the drone was actually a planet. The officer used an astronomy app on his phone to show the man it was in fact Venus he was seeing.

Jan. 15

Parking lot payback
3:40 p.m. — 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway
Disturbance: An officer exiting a grocery store noticed a verbal dispute happening next to his patrol car. After speaking with the participants, he determined that a BMW driver had been waiting for a parking spot, but a Honda motorcycle slid in and took the space. After more investigation, the motorcycle rider told the officer he took the space as retribution, because the BMW did not use a turn signal while driving on the main road.

Feb. 10

Tricking the trickster
10:10 a.m. — 3200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious circumstance: A woman called police to report that an unknown person had called her claiming to be her grandson. The caller said that he was in an accident and needed money. The woman then asked what his father’s name was, and the caller hung up. 

We didn’t start the fire
1 p.m. — 100 block of North Shore Road
Suspicious person: After responding to reports of a suspicious person, police found 15 people hanging out on Beer Can Island with a small fire smoldering. When an officer asked who started the fire, the group did not respond. After noticing beer cans on the ground, police asked who had been drinking. Again, the group did not respond. Officers cleaned up the area and dumped water on the remains of the fire.

Feb. 16

Body or buoy?
1:05 p.m. — 3300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious circumstance: A woman called police to report a person had possibly drowned in the Gulf of Mexico. When officers arrived, they determined the apparent bobbing head the woman saw was actually a buoy attached to a crab trap. The woman told police she was a tourist and was unfamiliar with buoys and their use for catching crustaceans. 

Feb. 21

Setting the mood
8:20 p.m. — 300 block of North Shore Road
Disturbance: A woman called police to report that while doing yoga on a dock, she placed her baseball hat on one of the lights to make the night darker. A neighbor took a picture of the hat, and the two got into a brief argument. The man told police he thought the woman was trying to damage the light with her hat and wanted to document the incident.

Feb. 27

Two wheels too many
8:49 a.m. — 3800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic violation: A man drove his car into the bicycle lane in order to pass an officer waiting to turn using the shoulder of the road. Police immediately pulled the driver over and issued a citation for driving onto the bike path.

March 4

Double dare
3:45 p.m. — 7000 block of the Longboat Pass Bridge
Juvenile nuisance: Police stopped two teenagers after observing the pair jump from a bridge. The two boys told officers they were leaving the beach and jumped from the bridge on a dare. After police explained that it was dangerous and illegal, the teenagers were respectful and apologetic. An officer issued a verbal warning after the boys said they realized it was a bad decision. 

March 31

Wrong grandpa to mess with

4:20 p.m. — 1900 block of GMD

Suspicious circumstance: An officer was dispatched on report of a fraud. When the officer arrived, a man reported that he had received a call from a person claiming to be from the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. This caller told the man they were holding his grandson because of some violation, and the man would need to send money to secure his release. The man said he realized something was not right because he does not have a grandson by the name given by the caller. When the man informed the caller of that fact, the caller hung up. 

May 10

It runs downhill

10:36 a.m. – 1000 block of Longboat Club Road

Disturbance/neighbor: An officer was sent to look into a report of a neighbor allowing a dog to relieve himself on an upstairs balcony, then washing the mess off with a hose to someone else's patio below. The responding officer reported the mess had been cleaned before his arrival and he could not determine its origin. The officer spoke by phone to the upstairs neighbor, who blamed birds.

May 16

Welcome to the neighborhood

11:20 a.m. – Police station lobby

 Animal incident: A woman at the Longboat Police Department lobby told an officer she encountered a new neighbor on the 3400 block of Winding Oaks Drive and asked permission to pet his small dog. When she did, the dog bit her hand, causing several small puncture marks, which did not require medical attention. The woman reported the incident to the homeowners association, which recommended filing a police report. She was given information on how to file a report with animal control.

June 3

Gone fishing

9:30 p.m. – 100 block of Sands Point Road.

Dispute: A dispute between a man in a boat and a man on a dock over fishing prompted a call to police. The man on the dock claimed the man in the boat was too close to the dock and was trespassing. During the argument, the man on the boat yelled “Why don’t you go back to Michigan where you belong.’’ The responding officer indicated the surface of the water is not private property. But, such a close approach to a private dock could be considered trespassing.

July 11

No one owns the view

12:27 p.m. – Longboat Police Department

Public service: A man from out of town came to the police department headquarters to say he had questions about his rights on the beach. Management of the inn at which he was staying told him to move his family’s pop-up awning on the beach because it was blocking the view of a guest who complained. Management said he would have to comply because the inn owned the beach property all the way to the water’s edge. Police said that was not the case, and he had every right to place his awning as he desired on state-controlled property seaward of the dunes or the high water mark in the sand at high tide

Aug. 31

Hooked

11:40 a.m. – Near Jewfish Key

Animal assistance: An officer on marine patrol was flagged down by four men on a construction barge. The men had found a pelican entangled in fishing line and two large fishing lures with treble hooks. The officer asked the men for a box large enough to contain the pelican and transported the bird to the Linley Street dock to meet with a road-patrol officer. That officer took the pelican to Save our Seabirds for treatment.

Sept 12

Is anybody in there?

8:52 p.m., 2600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious circumstance: Workers at a vacation resort called police when they heard noises from the complex’s locked game room.  An officer unlocked the room but found no one inside. He later determined the room’s security camera was also equipped with a speaker, through which managers could address people in the room. The connected microphone was apparently left in the open position and was broadcasting into the room from elsewhere in the resort.

Sept. 13

They overlooked the gate

1:39 a.m., Overlook Park (101 Gulf of Mexico Drive)

Suspicious person: While on patrol, an officer spotted a silver Toyota pickup truck behind the closed gate at Overlook Park. The officer spoke to two people who said they did not know the park was closed. The officer consulted state and national crime-information databases to confirm the two were not suspected criminals. They weren’t and were allowed to leave.

Sept. 22

Yup, it’s mine

9:25 a.m., 5200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Found property: A caller to police said a black purse and a bag of food had been sitting on the steps of a condominium for about 24 hours. The bag contained a laptop computer, a cell phone and some other items including medication. The responding officer was able to find the bag’s owner. Nothing was missing, and the owner signed a receipt acknowledging the return of her items.

Sept. 25

Family business

3:21 p.m. –- Twin Shores Boulevard

Public service: A car belonging to a resident who passed away in September attracted the attention of a man helping family members sort through personal belongings. The caller asked police if the car, a 17-year-old Chrysler, could be towed off. The officer responded that the car was legally parked, was part of the resident’s estate and couldn’t be removed. The caller said the man’s daughters weren’t interested in any of their father’s belongings. The officer tracked down the resident’s sister in another state who said she didn’t know her sibling had died and hadn’t had contact with the family for some time. The officer passed along contact information for the original caller and the resident’s daughters to discuss the estate.

Oct. 3

Little feet

7:33 a.m., 700 block of St. Judes Drive North

Suspicious incident: A resident called police to report someone had walked across his landscaping the night before, about a week after someone twice knocked on his door and disappeared. The resident told the responding officer that sometime overnight, someone had walked through his landscaping rocks, leaving impressions.  The responding officer examined the footprints and told the resident they appeared small, possibly left by a child. Everything else was in order. The resident asked police to keep an extra eye on his property.

Oct. 10

No sign of the rules

12:36 a.m., Longboat Pass

Fishing: People fishing on the Longboat Pass bridge attracted the attention of police. When an officer arrived, he reported finding several people fishing on the top of the bridge, which leads from Longboat Key to Bradenton Beach. The officer told the anglers where fishing was allowed, and they moved. All four signs marking the proper areas for fishing were taken down before Hurricane Irma and have not yet been put back. The drawbridge tender said a request was made to return the signs.

Oct. 13

Driving in the dark

10:40 p.m., 6040 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Public service: A driver flagged down a police officer in the parking lot of Cannons Marina. The officer approached the driver, an 89-year-old woman, who said she was lost and low on gas. He then escorted the driver safely to her home on L'Ambiance Drive.

Oct. 26

All night long

1:11 p.m., 3500 block of Fair Oaks Lane

Noise complaint: A resident notified police of a neighbor’s pool pump that had been running all night and throughout the subsequent morning. The investigating officer reported being able to hear the pump running from the street when he pulled up. The resident told police the owner had been contacted, and that a repair technician was called to inspect the equipment for malfunction.

Nov. 17

RIP Gustav Ahr

5:47 p.m. 100 block of N. Shore Road

Vandalism: An officer paid a visit to Greer Island to investigate a report of a man spray-painting trees. The officer found a red-painted tree trunk, an orange one, a yellow one, a green one, a blue one and a purple one. Also, a log was painted with the words RIP GUSTAV AHR, the name of a rapper, known by stage name Li'l Peep, who died two days earlier. The officer spoke with 12 people nearby, none of whom had paint cans or had paint on their hands. No one saw who painted the trees.

Nov. 25

Whose car is it?

8 a.m., 7100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: Police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that destroyed a pedestrian crossing sign near Broadway on the northbound side. Tire marks and debris indicate the vehicle involved was a Jeep Cherokee. The investigating officer found tire marks on the right shoulder about 40 feet south of the sign and more north of the sign, ending with skid marks about 150 feet to the north. Police planned to check the island’s camera system for similar vehicles.